To want a UK hotel room which sleeps a family of five

[Dishwashersaurous]

So, thinking about having a break in another UK city for a couple of days over half term just to have a break.

We're a family of five, three children primary age.

I envisaged a hotel room with two double beds, like those you get in US motels. Kids more than happy to share a bed.

We've only camped or cottages in UK before.

Now, despite searching and searching it seems that it is impossible to get a hotel room to sleep five. Which means two rooms, which obviously is much more expensive, when literally going to just be sleeping. We all happily sleep in one room in a tent.

So, good people of mumsnet, AIBU to hope someone can help me find a hotel room which sleeps five. Or don't they exist

We did youth hostelling many of the city centre ones are like hotels, you can do self catering or bed and breakfast and many do evening meals.
Some have double beds some bunks/singles. Many have ensuite shower rooms.

I will look into youth hostels.

We stayed at the Ibis York Centre in the summer. We had a family room with three double beds.

When my children were small enough we just booked one room and left youngest off the booking. Premier Inns and Travellodges weren't really bothered and in a few occasions just gave us breakfast for the third. I think they know it happens.

@MacTootBlowsonHisBagpipes

Not city breaks but Crieff Hydro have family rooms for up to 6. Athol Palace in Pitlochry also do large family rooms.

I love Crieff Hydro. Amazing place for family holidays.

Family room at a Premier Inn?

@Dishwashersaurous

11:01skippythebushkangarootoo. How do you book for five?

I'm obviously being stupid but I can't get a single hotel website, even the ones suggested, to allow me to enter five for one room

You probably need to call

I just looked at York on booking.com and there's a place called The Diamonds (or similar) that does rooms with two doubles and one single. So I think they are out there, if a bit like hens' teeth!

@Username7521

Hi OP

Three kids here. We struggle to find any hotel that we can all be in one room. We generally need two. We Airbnb it mostly due to this.

Some jury inns have that set up but they don’t all like three kids in there unless they are under 2.
Other friends who are a family of 5 sneak one child in to premier inns family rooms!

Sorry. No real advice. If you find any that do take 5 please let me know

I have three dcs and we used to sneak my ds into family rooms . It meant that the adults couldn’t have breakfast in the hotel dining room

The Hilton doubletree in London docklands has lovely big family rooms for 5.

Also, https://www.coppidbeech.com/family-friendly-hotel/ this hotel (perfect for a trip to legoland) was brilliant... we had a double bed in one room and 3 single beds in the adjoining suite. It was really reasonable too. (Haven't been there for years though).

Someone mentioned the stay city suites. That was also really good. Plenty of room and options to take your own food/get take aways in your room to keep cost down.

Many hotels will arrange a camp bed for little kids if you call and ask.

I'd book a 4 bed room & top & toe 2 of the kids.

@Elodeastar

My worry with 'sneaking' kids in is that in an emergency (e.g. a fire) then they wouldn't be officially listed on the list of residents. I know most (all) parents would speak up about the extra person in such a situation, but what if the parent was somehow unable to speak up (trapped/involved) and nobody else was aware? I know this is unlikely but it could happen! Also, if you are having breakfast, then won't the hotel notice the 'extra' person?

What??? So you think if the firemen found a room with a family in it where they were all so badly injured they couldn’t answer any questions, the fireman would wonder off and check the manifest before deciding that there was only meant to be 4 people in the room so they wouldn’t bother looking any more? How exactly would that play out?

Also, what happens when someone hooks up? Are they meant to inform reception of the extra person staying in the room?

Don't sneak children in. If anything were to happen you wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

Also a family of 5. I've found that if you telephone some hotels, the ones that have large family rooms, they'll often put another single camp bed or similar in for you, for an extra £10 or £20. It's worth doing a ring round.

Having said that, we stayed in London in October at a Hilton (Hampton Hilton London Park Royal) in 2 inter connecting rooms, it was a fab new hotel, 2 massive rooms for about £170 for both rooms which I thought was good value.

I was also going to suggest youth hostels, I've not been to one for decades but they are only getting better.

Covid means they can't easily rent out beds in a dorm, so if you cannot find one with a family room you might get a dorm.

This one has rooms for 5 people, a bar and a cafe.
www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-bath

Hiltons always have 2 double bed rooms.

Booking.com you can book small apartments with two bedrooms for city breaks.

We have a similar issue but we are a small family (DH, DS 15 and me) with hotel chains .
DS is now 5ft 10. He doesn't sleep in the same room as us at home, he doesn't sleep on a sofa/"put-u-up" bed at home so why should he be expected to share with us just because he's not an adult and on an inferior bed?
I rang Premier Inns about interconnected rooms and all they did was put me through to the hotel that I wanted to stay at. The answer to my request for an interconnecting room was that it can be requested but not guaranteed. So if 2 families book in on the same day and there's only one set of rooms available then the first to check in will get them. Not much use if you have travelled from the other end of the UK.

@BasementIdeas
In bad fires or other situations where buildings become damaged, then a list of who was supposed to be in there is really, really important! I thought this was common knowledge!

They do exist but look at b&b's. I've stayed in places with a double and 3 singles here in the U.K. and in Europe. What you cannot do though is squeeze an extra child in a double bed officially, but not can you in the USA (officially). Holiday inns in the U.K. normally offer 2 double bedded rooms as do other larger chains

I also recommend bunk houses that you can book exclusive use of - we stayed at the one at Celtic camping, flat rate per person

@Elodeastar

My worry with 'sneaking' kids in is that in an emergency (e.g. a fire) then they wouldn't be officially listed on the list of residents. I know most (all) parents would speak up about the extra person in such a situation, but what if the parent was somehow unable to speak up (trapped/involved) and nobody else was aware? I know this is unlikely but it could happen! Also, if you are having breakfast, then won't the hotel notice the 'extra' person?

Agree with this, I think rooms are only insured for the occupancy so should something awful happen you are invalidating it

That said I agree hotels should do a few larger rooms though as a person who needs a disabled room with accessible shower when travelling with my mum, they are few and far between too

Hotels make more money filling them with boxes for 2. It's business I guess

Oh it's so frustrating. We have children with SEND too and found places like travel lodge, premier inn etc won't let us pre book interconnecting rooms and tell us it depends what's available when we turn up. We've stayed in a couple of suites where they put camp beds up in the living space (near legoland). We stayed in a hotel near the Harry Potter studios with one double and 3 singles all in one room, it was amazing as everyone was happy, we all had proper beds and it was much less stressful as even in suites the children dislike the new environment and feel scared even though we're in the room next door with the doors open.

We stayed in a B&B in Aberdeen quite a few years back with 3 young adults) have you looked up B & B? (there was one in Whitby I remember where I stayed with dd adult once too

I wouldn't give sneaking an extra child in a second thought. The fire thing is ridiculous as there's no way that the hotel would have a clue who is in and who is out at the time. They certainly wouldn't be checking guest lists against the people who are out of the building.

Youth hostels? Some of the city ones are lovely.